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Sunday, January 26, 2014

Where Alison Gets an Adrenaline Rush

Every so often, there comes a time in our equestrian careers where we feel good about ourselves. I had two good lessons on Saturday. Delight was awesome sauce today. Tini was good on the lunge. Everything was just peachy. My Sunday was going to be a win. I even enlisted my mother to snap a picture or two of me riding Tini.

And my reality was readjusted.

Nice and calm and listening

Look how good she was, walking on the lunge. She was nice and calm, and even pretty focused (for her). We walked, trotted and even cantered to both directions.

I know, I should have done more transitions on the lunge, but c'mon folks... Lunging is the most boring form of horsemanship.
Bo-ring.

But helpful, evidently.

So, since the Tini-Bopper was nice and calm I screw it. I mean, she was so good last week. She walked and kinda-sorta steered under saddle. We even trotted nice and calmly down the long sides. Before she had three days off...

So I double checked my girth (I'm not totally stupid) and hopped on. There's something truly special about a horse that you've trained yourself listening to you. Taking a raw green bean to a steerable relaxed pony is a fabulous feeling. Truly fabulous.

So we tried the trot without the use of a center person holding the lunge whip. Just to see if we could. The trot was slightly less focused then I remembered with a good bit of weaving, but I stayed in the middle and let Tini find her own balance. She was weaving like a drunk, but her back was nice and relaxed. Her ears were up, and she felt normal, if a tad more distracted than usual. At the end of our squirrely trot line, we made a 30 meter turn across the short side, where she unilaterally decided to kick it up a notch.

Completely without warning, and a totally tense back, Tini bolted.
My mom later told me that she was torn between taking pictures and watching the misadventure unfold. Anyone who's witnessed my mom in action knows that simply stopping taking pictures was a sign of concern for my safety. Remaining still and simply watching was her normal MO for when my sister and I were riding out naughty horse moments.
fortunately for me, she got off one shot before being overwhelmed by concern for my safety.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words; this picture is a misdirection. Immediately after this shot, Tini proceeded to trot/canter/throw legs around randomly across the diagonal where she thought there would be other horses waiting for her. My steering and brakes were gone and I was in Do NOT fall of this horse mode. Fortunately, I shut it down in the corner and didn't curl up into the fetal position. Unfortunately, there is now yet another unflattering shot of me floating around the internet.
Story of my life.
But really, who doesn't like blooper pictures?

The rest of the story: I reattached the lunge and had Tini do transitions, with me aboard, while safely held on a circle. She was a gem. I guess I really shouldn't expect a top notch young horse after three days off. Whoops.